Mine timbering machine having a timber cutting unit



y 3, 1954 G. w. MILLER 2,683,475

MINE TIMBERING MACHINE HAVING A TIMBER CUTTING UNIT Filed June 16, 1951 I 4 Sheets-Sheet l fujazm George #6:-

July 13', 194 G. w. MILLER /,//MINE TIMBERING MACHINE HAVING A TIMBER CUTTING UNIT altar,"

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Ezg G rg Mil/er 9 l v 6' 1 M .V/ b 1 F y. 9 I r July 13, 1954 G. w. MILLER 2,683,475

MINE TIMBERING MACHINE HAVING A TIMBER CUTTING UNIT 7 Filed June 16, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet I5 G. W. MILLER July 13, 1954 MINE TIMBERING MACHINE HAVING A TIMBER CUTTING'UNiT Filed June 16, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented July 13, 1954 EN! OFFICE MINE TIMBERING MACHINE HAVING A TIMBER CUTTING UNIT r George W. Miller, Chicago, IlL, assignor to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois 10 Claims. (01. 14332) This invention relates to improvements in vehicles for installing timbers in mines, and more particularly to improvements in machines for sawing mine timbers to size at the time of installation in a mine.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a vehicle having a timber cutting unit readily adjustable to cut a timber while it is disposed either longitudinally along one side of the vehicle, or transversely along one end of the vehicle, as dictated by operating conditions and requirements.

A further object is to provide a vehicle having a flat deck for transporting a plurality of timbers into proximity to the place where they are to be installed in the mine, and with the clamping and cutting unit movable into position to receive a timber by gravity from said deck, and to facilitate the handling of said timber.

A still further object of the invention is to provide trough means along the side of the vehicle, adapted to be moved into an out-of-the-way position relative to the vehicle when the side trough means is not being used in cutting a timber.

Another object is to provide an adjustable interconnecting means between the cutting unit and the trough means at one side of the vehicle, so that the trough means will be automatically swung into its out-of-the-way position when the cutting unit is swung so as to cut a timber disposed transversely at one end of the vehicle.

A further object is to provide a combined clamp and safety guard element operable in conjunction with the sawing mechanism, having means for engaging the timber with minimum danger of catching the operators fingers therebetween. 7

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the following description proceeds. v w

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a minevehicle constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the vehicle;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of the, clamping and cutting unit, taken on line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a detail section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3;

ure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the clamping and cutting unit, with parts broken away and shown in section to show certain structural details;

I propelled mine vehicle It has mobile traction means, herein consisting of track wheels l l which may be driven as usual by power of a motor suitabily mounted on the vehicle. The power drive for the traction means need not be shown in detail as it forms no part of the present invention.

The vehicle In includes a main frame l2 surmounted by a generally flat deck [3 for carrying a plurality of mine timbers either lengthwise or transversely thereof. A plurality of removable pins M, It may be provided along the sides of the deck for retaining timbers thereon during transportation of the latter.

A housing I5 of relatively limited horizontal dimensions projects above said deck near the front end of the vehicle, containing mechanism for actuating and controlling the movement of a boom ll, which is provided with a saddle [8 at its outer end for elevating or holding a mine beam in position for installation in the mine The general arrangement and function of such a boom is well known in the art so need not be further described.

The vehicle has a platform I9 projecting from the front end thereof below the deck level, which platform is recessed at one corner of the frame as indicated at 20, to receive a clamp-ing and cutting unit 2|. Said unit is pivotally mounted for horizontal swinging movement on an upright pin 22, which herein is supported at its lower end in the base of platform 59 and at its upper end in a bracket 23 projecting forwardly from the vehicle frame along the outer side of the recess 20. The clamping and cutting unit 2| is of generally elongated box-shape, and

is arranged to be swung substantially into the recess 29 in one position, for cutting timbers supported transversely of the front end of the vehicle, and to be swung outwardly of the recess with its major portion extending laterally of the adjacent side wall 24 of the vehicle frame, in a second position for cutting timbers supported along said side wall of the vehicle frame.

fixed near the end of platform [9 opposite the In the form shown, an upstanding bracket 25 is v upper face to receive one end of a timber. A pair of brackets 26 and 2? are hinged to the side wall 2 5 in spaced relation to each other, in the form shown the rearmost bracket 2% being disposed substantially at the rear corner of the vehicle, and the other bracket 2'! being substantially halfway toward the rear of the vehicle. Further details of the hinged brackets and 21 will be hereinafter described.

Referring now to details of the clamping and cutting unit 2| shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5, said unit includes a hollow box-likehousing consisting of a bottom wall 28, side walls 29, and end walls 3|, 32, all rigidly secured to each other as by welding. Said housing also has an intermediate upright partition 33 parallel with the side walls 29 and 30. A cover plate 34 extends horizontally from partition 33 to the adjacent end wall 30 and may be detachably secured to-said walls as by bolts 35. A second narrower cover plate 36 spans the opposite side of the housing along the end wall 29 but is-spaced from the first named cover plate'34 so as to form an elongated slot 32' extending longitudinally of the top of said housing. The cover plates 34 and 36 both have aligned V-shaped trough supports Ma and Zita, respectively, extending to the opposite sides of the housing for the reception of a timber or log during the sawing operation.

An elongated sawing element 40 and a clamping element 4| are pivotally mounted within the housing with their swinging ends projecting through the slot 3'! and movable by power toward and away from each other transversely of the trough line defined by the troughs 34a and 35a.

In the form shown herein, the sawing element 4|] consists essentially of an endless saw chain 42 of the straddle type, guided orbitally about an elongated guide plate 43. Said guide plate is adjustable endwise on a' block 44 having an offset hub 45 rotatably mounted on a hollow bearing support 46. The chain may be driven as usual by a sprocket 4'! loosely mounted on shaft 48 extending through the bearing support 45, and the sprocket being driven through a conventional slip friction clutch, indicated at 9. The parts of the elongated sawing element enumerated above are well known in the art, so further details need not be shown nor described, excepting as-to the no'vel'means for mounting and opera ing said element in conjunctionwith the associated-parts of the machine.

The shaft bearing support 46- extends through a reducedaperture in a cup-shaped supporting ring 5| fixed as'by welding in the upright partition 33. Said bearing support has a flange 52 at its inner end, detachably secured as by bolts 54 in a central recess 55 of ring 5|, opening to the outer side of said ring. The ring 5| also has a flanged periphery 56 for housing a flywheel 51 keyed on the end of drive shaft 48 for the chain sprocket M. The flywheel 51 preferably has an effective inertia value of at least four times that of the saw chain.

A cover plate 59 is secured by bolts 60 to the flanged periphery 55 of cup-shaped ring 5| and a hydraulicmotor 6| mounted thereon, with its rotor shaft (not shown) having driving connection, as usual, with the adjacent end of the chain drive shaft ifl.

The sawing element it! is swung by power of a double-acting hydraulic cylinder tdhaving one end pivoted as at to the side wall 3 i, and with its piston rod 8? pivoted at $3 to arm 65 projecting from the hub 45 of the sawing element.

It will be noted that the axis of swinging movement of the sawing element is disposed near the juncture of the bottom wall 28 and the inner end wall 32 of unit 2|. Said sawing element is thus normally retracted to a generally horizontally inoperative position within the unit, below the V-shaped trough members 34a and 36a thereof, and is swung upwardly and outwardly relative to the inner end wall 3| and the' vehicle' It), during the sawing of a timber.

The clamping element 4] consists of an elongated claw-like guard arm 10 of considerable width, with an inwardly curved outer end 1| having toothed flanges 12, 12a along opposite sides thereof, in laterally spaced relation to each other, to provide grippingedgesfor a timber, in spaced relation on opposite sides Tof thepathnofswinging movement of thesawing element. In the form shown, the teeth l3 on flanges 72 are of substantially. greater length than the thickness of the average human hand, so as to aid the operator in removing his fingers from danger should they he accidentally caught between the clamping member and a timber during the operation of the machine.

The clamping arm'iO is pivotally mounted within the box-like housing on anaxis adjacent the juncture of the bottom wall 29 and the inner end wall 3|, in the form shown herein the pivotal axis of said clamping arm being coaxial with that of the sawing element lll. "The pivotal-support for said clamping arm includes a cheek plate M fixed along the inner end of one of the side flanges 12 of said arm, and pivotally mounted on a stub shaft "15 carried by a bearing stud Hi detachably mounted on the'adj acent wall 29. Preferably, the bearingstud 162'extends through the side wall 29, and nasa flanged outer'end'portion ll detachably secured by bolts'l8'in'a'recess'19 formed in the outer face of said walL so that the bearing stud l6 and shaft 15 canbe removed from the outer side of the unit for facilitating assembly or disassembly of the parts.

The check plate'M is extended beyond its pivotal mounting to form a lever arm 'pivotally connected at its outer end at-"Sl to a piston rod of a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 82. The opposite end' of said cylinder ispivoted' atii3'toside wall 3|. Fluid pressure is supplied-to opposite ends of the cylinder 82throughsuitable hydraulic control devices '(not shown) forswinging the clamping arm bodily on itsaxis. 'In' the form shown, a second cheek plate 84 isdetach'ably secured as by bolts-85 to the other-'side fiange 12a of clamping arm), and the last-named cheek plate is pivotallysupporte'd on the exterior of the hollow bearing support "46, in which the chain drive shaft 43 is journalled, concentrically with the axis of the bearing stud-"l6 on'which the opposite cheek plate M is journalled.

The clamping arm 10 and its'actuating cylinder 32 are arranged so that said clamping arm, when in open non-clamping position, is disposed in a generally upright position, with its outer end extending out of the slot 3? on top of the cutting unit 2|, adjacent the side wall 32.

The clamping arm is swung. inwardly and clownwardly to holda timber in the adjacent trough supports 34a and 36a, in a direction opposite to the swinging movement of the sawing element A when cutting the timber held in place in the trough by the clamping arm.

all.

v tion shown in full lines in Figure 1, for cutting a timber disposed longitudinally of the vehicle at one side thereof, or can be adjusted to a second position indicated in dotted lines in Figure l, for cutting a timber disposed transversely of the ve hicle at the front thereof.

The folding supporting brackets 25 and 2'? pivotally mounted to the side of the vehicle frame are interconnected with the cutting and clamping unit so that they can be automatically extended by power into proper supporting position when said unit is/adjusted in the longitudinal or sidecutting Qsition, and retracted (gr folded in outof-thefiy ay position when saidunit is adjusted in the transverse or end-cutting position. The interconnecting means is shown in detail in Figures 6 and 7. The bracokets zfi and TI each have upper and SI, respectively, pivoted on 92, 92 on the side of the vehicle frame e upper arms so have levers 93 extending at an intermediate angle therefrom, and pivotally connectedto a push rod 94 extending longitudinally along the inner side of the vehicle frame. The front end of said push rod is pivoted intermediate the ends of a lever 85 by pin 98. The lever 95 has one end pivoted to a lug 9'! mounted on the vehicle frame, and its other end pivoted to one end of a link 98. The other end of said link is pivoted to the lug 99 fixed to the in ner end wall 31 of the clamping and cutting unit 2 I that is to say, the end wall nearest the vehicle frame in either cutting position of said unit.

The interconnecting linkage above described is actuated through a double-acting hydraulic cylinder Illll having one end suitably pivoted to the vehicle frame as by lug IUI, and has its piston rod I02 pivotally connected to the same pin 95 on the lever 95, which has the push rod 9% pivoted thereon.

The use and operation of the machine above described is as follows:

Timbers of desired length may be transported on the deck of the vehicle, to any place where timbers are to be cut to proper length for installation in the mine. The length of timbers may vary greatly for different purposes and locations, so that it is desirable to cut the timbers to their proper length at the time and place of installation. In most cases, it is preferable to transport timbers much longer than the width of the timbering vehicle, so that the timbers are normally loaded longitudinally of the deck when carried into the mine. The pins I l aid in keeping the timbers from rolling sideways off the deck but said pins may be removed when desired, to aid in unloading the timbers.

When the area to be timbered is reached, a timber is selected for cutting to the desired length. The clamping and cutting unit is then adjusted by means of the hydraulic cylinder I08 for cutting the timber while held either longitudinally or transversely of the vehicle, depending upon the length desired, and also on the space available for handling relatively long timbers. In many cases, it will be found impossible to swing a timber from a longitudinal to a transverse position for cutting it to length. In such cases, and possibly others, it is more convenient to support the timber on the brackets 26 and 2! along one side of the vehicle frame while cutting it to length. In still other cases, it may be less desirable, or even impossible due to lateral space limitations, to support the timber at the side of the frame, whereupon the timber may be disposed for cutting in transverse position, partially supported on the and lowera'r 61 fixed bracket 25 on platform I9, and with the other end of the timber engaged in the notched trough supports 34a, 36a of the cutting unit,

In either position of pivoted adjustment of the cutting unit relative to the vehicle, it will be observed that the outer or swinging end of the clamping arm I0, when in open non-clamping position, normally extends generally upright in the slot 37 outside the trough supports 34a, 36a of said cutting unit, to form a stop for timbers when the latter are rolled from the deck I3 and deposited by gravity in cutting position along said trough supports.

Although I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mobile timbering machine comprising a main frame having a timber-supporting deck, a timber-cutting unit mounted on said frame adjacent and below said deck, timber-holding means also mounted adjacent and below said deck in horizontally spaced relation to said unit to cooperate with the latter for supporting a timber in position to be cut, said cutting unit comprising an elongated saw element and a clamping element pivotable about axes located on a side of the timber holding means remote from the frame, and power means for moving said elements toward each other to hold and out said timber.

2. A mobile timbering machine according to claim 1, in which both of said elements are pivotable about the same, axis.

3. A mobile timbering machine according to claim -1, in which the saw element is a cutter bar having a cutter bearing chain orbitally movable thereabout and driving means is provided for the cutter chain comprising a hydraulic motor having a flywheel with an effective inertia at least four times as great as that of the chain.

4. A mobile timbering machine comprising a mobile frame having means for supporting a timber in a position to be cut, a unitary cutting and holding unit thereon comprising a casing having a pair of spaced parallel walls disposed transverse to the axis of the timber when in position to be cut, a support extending inwardly from each of said walls along a common axis, a drive shaft carried by one of said supports rotatable about said axis, a cutter bar mounted on one of said supports for swinging movement about said axis through said timber cutting position and having t cutter chain orbitally movable thereabout, sprocket means carried by said shaft for driving said cutter chain, and clamp means engageable with a timber in position to be cut and comprising separate spaced bifurcations, each of which is pivoted on a respective one of said supports for swinging movement about said axis, one of said supports being mounted for removal from the casing in an outward direction along said axis to facilitate disassembly and assembly of said cutting and holding unit.

5. A mobile timbering machine comprising a mobile frame having a generally flat top deck for transporting a plurality of timbers, a timber cutting and holding unit mounted on said frame comprising notched supporting means at the side of said frame below the level of said deck for supporting a timber deposited therein by gravity from said deck, a clamping element pivoted about an axis located below said notched supporting means and remote from saidframe and-swingable by power from a generally upright position beyond said notched supporting means toward the frame for holding a'timber in said notched supporting means, and a sawing element movable away from said frame-"for cutting a timber held in said-notched supporting means by. said clamping member, said timber cutting and holding unit being wholly disposed beneath the level of: said deck excepting forthe free end of said clamping element when the latter is in' a generally upright position to form a stop for a timber deposited in said notched supporting means from said deck.

6. A mobile timbering machine in accordance with claim 5, in which the mobile frame has timber holding means extending both along one side, and along one end thereof at substantially the-same level as the notched supporting means of said cutting and holding unit, and the timber cutting and holding unit is pivotally mounted on the frame at the juncture between the side and end thereof, to be effective for cutting a timber supported in either timber holding means.

7; A mobile timbering machine comprising a main frame having a timber supporting deck, timber holding means extending along one side and one end of said deck below the level thereof .in position to receive a timber thereon by gravity fromsaid deck, and a timber cutting and holding unit pivotally mounted on the frame below said deck at the juncture between the side and end timber holding means, said cutting and holding unit being pivotally adjustable to cut a timber supported in either of said timber holding means.

8. A mobile timbering machine in accordance with claim 7, in which the timber cutting" and holding unit is mounted for'ho riz'o n'tal' swinging movement through a range of ninety degrees to 8, selectively cut and hold timber in either'the end or side positions alongsaid frame.

9. A mobile timbering machine in accordance with claim 7, in which the side timber holding means includes at least one bracket pivotally mounted on the side of the frame, and linkage means is pivotally mounted on the frame interconnecting the bracket and'the' cutting and holding unit to move said bracket into extended supporting position in alignment with the cutting and holding unit when the latter is positioned for cuttingthe timber'along the side of the frame.

10. A mobile timbering machine in accordance with claim 9, in which the sidetimber supporting bracket is pivotal between a' timber holding position normal to'the frame side in an out-of-the way position lying substantially flush against said side, and the linkage means interconnects the cutting and holding unit and the bracket for concurrent pivotal movement so that the bracket is moved into its out-of-the-way position when the cutting and holding unit is swung into alignment with the timber'holding means at the end of the frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,721 McDowell Aug. 12, 1840' 27,053 Hoffman Feb. 7, l860' 1,235,568 Howell Aug. 7, 1917 1,276,579 Scott Aug. 20, 1918 1,952,270 March et a1 Mar. 27, 1934 2,478,828 Larson Aug. 9, 1949 2,502,640 CoIeman Apr. 4, 1950' FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 125,285 Germany Nov. 15, i 

